This is an excellent thread, gents!
I’ll work backwards – The Choseras will last a while, especially if you start with the stock diamonds to do the “heavy lifting”, as Curtis mentioned. Last year at BLADE, I started with diamonds and used my 800/2K combo on I don’t know how many knives of varying steels, including S30V, and I did not lap them the entire time :ohmy: They were slightly dished, of course, and took what I would call about 3 normal lapping sessions to fix. Not much considering the workload they had endured. It’s safe to say that most of the wear on my Choseras is from lapping since I usually lap after each knife, even though I sharpen each level to perfection.
As for grit comparisons, Phillip stated it very well – the Grit sizes are really the only consistent way of measuring different stones/mediums, after that it’s all about how they work, and how it mixes with your technique. There have been several threads that confirm the need for a bridge from the stock diamonds to the polishing stages, especially when jumping to the pastes. The ceramics, Choseras and Shaptons basically fill that gap and then some on both ends of it.
And for the OP, some very sound advice regarding the cost and time factors, however, it really depends on your sharpening philosophy[/url]. But don’t worry, you won’t go wrong with any of the products the Wicked Edge offers – especially with the extremely helpful and knowledgeable people around this forum. B)
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